A Blizzard of Thought
by Exactly Who Am I
Summary: The Doctor lands in the backyard of a young woman in the middle of a snowstorm. The two find that the world, although calm in appearance, is stirring. And there is little time left. Bad description, I am so, so sorry. OC, no romance between them and the Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers, welcome to the story! Like the description says, most likely no romance, unless something pops up. Like, I'm 99.9% sure there will be no romance between The Doc and my character, so you McGann fans or cliché fearers don't have to worry. I am so sorry if I portray the Doctor wrong, I'm always paranoid I'll get it wrong. Enjoy!

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><p>I sighed, sinking into the couch I quickly had adapted as my home within a home. Snow fell quickly outside; a raging blizzard. However, in front of a fire with the accompaniment of blankets and hot cocoa, all was snug. The occasional few days home from work was a blessing, especially when it was paid. Nobody could control the weather, however hard they wished. I smiled at the television, playing some crime show my aunt introduced me to and which I fell quickly in love with. It was late, but not so late that I should go to bed just yet. With the TV in the background, I picked up a novel I was reading. It was one of my favorites; Miss Perigrine's Home for Peculiar Children. However aimed for teens it was, it always excited, every read and reread of the still developing series. I could only wait for the next installment of Jacob Portman's adventures with his friends who were peculiar and more senses than one. I was only a few pages further, when a strange noise shocked me out of my thoughts.<p>

Barely audible through the muffle of the wonderful invention of insulation and other building materials making up my house, as well as the snow, it was a wonder I heard it. It was strange, almost supernatural. It could be described as dragging something along a screen door, or maybe the string of an instrument. It came and faded at a regular rate, until it stopped a few moments later. Pulling my blanket around me, I walked to the back sliding door to investigate.

Whatever it was, it was first and foremost three things; big, dark, and had something at the top giving off light. I pulled on the boots sitting next to the glass door, and shivered at the cold wind that blew in. The thermostat next to it said the approximate outdoor temperature was 12 Fahrenheit. How _wonderful_. However, as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. It was an oath I lived by, to a minor extent, nothing too stupid. This was seriously on the borderline between the points of good and probably bad ideas.

Every step on the back deck crunched; boots on six inches of cold, wet snow. I shivered, blinded by the thick flurry. The light from the house only provided a thin beacon, quickly dimming. The light ahead didn't help much either. Me being only a few feet from my deck, the thing was a good ten, maybe fifteen feet away. After getting about halfway, I was ready to give up and go back. If it was a prank of sorts by the local high school or college kids, I'd deal with it in the morning. It was their loss of… whatever it was. Strange prank, anyways. Who puts a big box (which I concluded it was, due to the shape) in someone's backyard in the middle of a snowstorm?

As I was turning to go back, the box lightened, near the middle. I turned back around, and saw it was opening, and a bright light came from inside, along with heat akin to a home. Now I was confused. I turned back around. "Uh, hello?" I called out, unsure if anyone was in it, or could even hear me.

"Oh, what?" A masculine voice replied. The source stepped out. It was a man (Already identifiable by his voice), perhaps in his thirties or forties. Curly brown hair made its way to his shoulders, and he dressed in an utterly Victorian fashion. "May I ask where I am?"

Whoever it way, they were playing the prank role very well. I decided to go along, just to entertain them. "Well, primarily in a snowstorm. In my backyard."

"No, no, I should've been clearer. What I mean is Planet, Country, State if applicable, City. The exact date and time would be nice as well." I now identified this man as British. From what specific part of Great Britain, however, I wasn't sure, as an overwhelmingly American person.

"Well, I believe you might be a bit intoxicated if you don't know."

He shook his head. "No, no. Just… a bit confused. I travel quite a bit and I'm not always sure where or when I am."

I nodded. "I see. You're in the United States, Northern Michigan, an- did you ask for _planet_?"

"Yes, but no matter about that. Trivial now, know what one. Continue please."

I shook my head, shivering. "Okay, first can we go inside? It is freezing out here."

"Ah, yes. Just let me…" He trailed off, pulling something from an inner pocket. He closed the door of the box behind him, and presumably locked it. I lead him inside, shaking snow off of my hair. He followed suit. The warmth made me realize how numb I was. We both removed our boots, and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Let's see where I left off," I began, rubbing my fingers, trying to get feeling back in them. "Oh, you're in Northern Michigan. Upper Peninsula. Good hour or so drive from Marquette. Namely, very cold. Uh, let's see date. I kinda forget these things sometimes…"

I pulled out my phone from my sweatpants pocket. "Ah, it's December Ninth, Tuesday, and you wanted the time?" I looked up from my phone. Currently the man was absentmindedly playing with the chain of a watch. He looked up.

"Yes, please."

I pulled up the time. My phone _still _hadn't changed over for daylight savings-a glitch in the system. The calendar would've told the phone, but obviously the two were at an electronic stalemate. "Eight thirty P.M." I cleared my throat. "Ahem, uh, may I ask who exactly you are?"

I felt like an idiot a bit, inviting a random stranger into my home, far away from any other people. It was a blessing and a curse, this house. Passed down over generations, so no mortgage payments, a good view, no annoying neighbors were a perk. Bad news is, there was a couple of campsites and cabin sited with obnoxious teens on winter break who thought pranking was the greatest, and it was nigh impossible to get 911 out in case of emergency. You were your own law enforcement. I mentally checked where all the rifles my dad insisted I have were.

"I have a lot of names. Most people just call me The Doctor. And you are?"

"Katherine. Katherine Taylor. Interesting name you've got there, Doctor. Pleasure to meet you." I held out a hand for him. He shook it.

"Would you like coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? I've got all of it. I could quench the thirst of an army if I really wanted to."

"Tea, please." He asked. He seemed innocent enough, though appearances were deceiving.

I pulled out everything, and could only wait for the water to boil on the ancient gas stove. It was a wonder they still ran it out here. I went to grab my hot cocoa, which had probably cooled. However, I still kept a close eye on the man who called himself The Doctor. One could never be too careful. He still sat at the table, fiddling with trinkets from his pockets, which seemed to be endlessly deep. I didn't know what half the stuff was. I sat back down.

"So, Doctor, what brings you here in the middle of the night? University student prank?" I inquired.

"Actually, no." He explained. "I did say I travel. The Police box standing outside," So that's what it was. A Police Box. I had minimal knowledge of what they were, but I knew they were like phone booths, but to get police officers somewhere. "Is what I travel in."

I was perplexed. "In a Police Box? It's a bit small to get anywhere."

He laughed a bit, and I furrowed my brow. If there was some elaborate scheme going on, maybe by some of my friends, trying to get me a date, I was completely out of the loop, and quite angry. "Well," He explained. "It's quite complicated. It teleports, in a way. I can travel through time and space."

"It's still _small_." I argued.

"It's bigger on the inside." He countered.

The teakettle whistled before I could continue. As I poured the hot water into a mug, I decided to ask him something. "And how am I supposed to believe that? Also, what kind of tea? I've got Earl Grey, Chamomile, I might have some black tea or Oolong."

"Black, please. If you don't have that, Chamomile is fine."

"Cream or sugar?" I asked.

"Both. Two lumps." He wasn't actually looking at me, still enthralled by the tiny masses of gears and the like.

I handed him the cup, steaming. He took it, inhaling the warm, sweet scent.

"It was the last bag of black tea I had." I commented, taking my seat again, sipping the now lukewarm cocoa. I sighed, tired but awake at the same time.

We sat in silence for awhile, both drinking our beverage. I watched him, tinkering. His fingers turned cogs, tightened and loosened screws with the fascination of a child. To be honest, it was entertaining just to watch the meticulous movements. The parts looked like they were from a clock, maybe.

"I don't expect you to believe me, not yet anyways." He said softly, breaking the quiet between us.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. I don't expect you to believe I'm a time traveler in a box bigger on the inside."

I didn't know what to say. It was a statement, not a conversation starter. So, we continued to sit in the silence, only interrupted by the clinking to porcelain on the table, or the ticking of the hall clock, or the crackle of the fire, now burning low, or the sounds of metal on metal. It was a loud silence.


	2. Chapter 2

Doop! New chapter. I'll try to update every weekend, but because holidays, it can't be guaranteed. I'll try and make up for it, though! Enjoy!

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><p>The Doctor! I sat up, quick enough to make me groan at the charley horse in my neck. I rubbed it, trying to alleviate the pain. The windows showed that it was later in the morning, and had stopped snowing, but left a good eight or nine inches. I inwardly sighed at the daunting prospect of shoveling all of that. I walked to the back door, passing the front window, and only could stare at the fact it was <em>already shoveled<em>. I looked back in the kitchen. Seemingly, the cups from the tea and cocoa were cleaned, as well as all of the other dishes in the sink. Good thing the Doctor was polite.

The glass door showed the police box was still standing, covered in snow. Faint remnants of footprints reminded me of the trek over there, and fresher ones were leading up to it. The boots from last night still sat next to the door, drier than before. I bit my lip, and decided to go out.

The box loomed tall overhead, maybe eight or so feet tall. 'Police Public Call Box' read the top, and a sign on the left portion of the door gave some further info on use. I knocked, not wanting to intrude. The doors swung inward, and my mouth gaped open at what was inside.

Apparently, he was right, and the laws of physics obviously didn't apply to the box. The room was a good few hundred square feet, and frankly as outdated as the man himself, besides the huge platform near the center. Covered in all sorts of junk, monitors, and buttons, it was a bit confusing. I took a few tentative steps inside, taking it all in. The Doctor stood at the platform, looking over a few screens. There was a strange glowing pillar at the center that caught my eye.

"Uh, what is all this?" I could only ask. No harm in trying.

He looked up. "My TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, and apparently, she likes you." He explained.

My eyebrows shot up. "She?"

"I like to think of her as alive. Every Time Lord should have one, I think. We travel together, or more I travel in her."

My head span with an overflow of more questions. What was a Time Lord? Living phone booths that were bigger on the inside? There was no way to wrap it around my mind. I sat on a chair nearby, where a few books sat beside.

I picked up the novel on top. "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy; Douglas Adams. Y'know, it's one of my favorite books. Read all the books as a kid."

I picked up the next few, after putting the first down next to the stack, as to read the titles, and maybe analyze who he was. "A Wrinkle in Time; Madeline L'Engle. The Time Traveler's Wife; Audrey Niffenegger. War of the Worlds; H.G. Wells. The Martian Chronicles; Ray Bradbury."

I looked over at the Doctor, still fiddling with some controls. "All doing with time and space travel, or aliens." I commented. "Something I assume you do, maybe?"

He looked up. "Very clever, you are. Sometimes the silly little patterns humans try to think up aren't so useless after all."

I beamed.

"You're assumption's correct. How'd you know?"

"I'm a librarian." I explained. "Little bit of a literary analyst. I try to learn about a person by seeing what they read, the little details about each book. The recurring theme of a few of these can be traced to loneliness. Are you alone?" I asked hesitantly.

The Doctor nodded slowly, his curls bouncing.

"For how long?"

"Right now?" He paused for a moment. "A few months. My last companion only stayed for a day or so, but she was amazing, to stay the least. Brilliant, she's a heart surgeon. _Was _a heart surgeon. She abdicated over… an issue."

"I, uh, is she alright?" I asked, hoping she didn't die or anything.

He licked his lips. "I hope so. In your timeline, it's been almost twenty years. I wanted her to come with me, I really did. I loved her. But she knew who she was, and I knew who I was, and so we parted ways. She lived in San Francisco, unless she moved. Quite an adventure, we had, she was one of the first faces this face saw. The last face my last face saw, that's for sure."

"San Francisco." I let myself think for a bit. "Went there once, passing through on my way to, and don't call be a nerd here, Comic-Con. A few friends and I took a road trip. It's a nice place, besides the slums. One of them _insisted _we had to see the home from Full House. And… did you say faces?"

The Doctor let out a half-hearted laugh. "Comic-con. Interesting. I suppose you'd like me to explain a few things?"

I nodded, being very confused, and as his guest, of sorts, didn't really know what to do. We were in my backyard, unless maybe the box was a trans-dimensional portal of sorts from a story. Time loops maybe, my mind commented, in a way. It was like a weird fanfiction, girl meets strange guy in her backyard, and suddenly every fiction book she read is real. But, that doesn't happen, does it?

He took a seat in another chair nearby. "I might as well start from the basics. I'm a Time Lord, Species Gallifreyan, origin Gallifrey. Time Lord's the title, received, along with what we call regenerations, after graduating from the academy."

"If you're from another planet," I began. "Why do you sound like a poor young Englishman?"

"Translation circuits. TARDIS has taken a strange liking, along with myself, to the customs of Britain. Anyways, where was I? Regenerations? Well, after getting the title, you're bestowed a sort of life extender."

I leaned forward. This was getting interesting.

"We Time Lords can die, and be reborn. We have thirteen faces, twelve regenerations. I'm already on my eighth face. There's talk you can get more, die an infinite amount of times, but the only proof of that is Rassilon."

"Rassilon?" I asked.

"He's kind of our leader. President, king, dictator, whatever you'd like to call it. He's lived so long, he's the founder of our society, basically. Developed all the time travel technology we have back home. I've run into him a few times, and he's _not _the sweetest apple in the basket."

"So you've got a history, don't you?"

He nodded. "It goes back, nowadays, thousands of Earth Equivalent years."

We sat in silence, not unlike last night, for a few moments. "Are you sad, to be alone?" I quietly asked.

The Doctor said nothing, nor gave any sign of a yes or no.

"You don't have to be alone. I'm alone, most of the time." I said. "Nobody really visits. I chose to move up here because I needed a place, and it's my great grandma's old place. She grew up here, you know. After she died, she left it to whoever wanted it. My family didn't really want it, too far up north they said. So, I moved in. There's a lot of cool junk in the basement. She was a painter, and a collector. Maybe… maybe neither of us have to be alone."

I searched his face for a response. "I know we just met and all, but it feels like I've known you forever. I guess some people just have that disposition." I added, though in doubt it would do anything.

He was still silent, and got up, going back to the platform. I stared down at my hands. "Sorry if I brought up anything too deep. I tend to do that a lot."

"It's alright, Katherine." When he spoke, it startled me a bit, even though it was only a few seconds after I spoke. "You did no harm."

I followed him up to where he was. There were so many controls, I couldn't make sense of any of them. A set of dials read things about the Humanian Era, and today's date, December tenth. Other displays showed pictures of outside, some with views further out, as far as the Milky Way galaxy. I looked over, again searching for something, anything. There was nothing.

"So what are you looking for? Are you looking for anything?"

He shook his head. "I'm not so looking for something, more like looking for nothing. Dark matter, antimatter. There was a pickup in readings around here. Say, have you seen anything strange lately?"

I shook my head. "Nothing besides you."

"Hmmm…" He switched a few levers, changing the display. "Look here." He pointed to a section of a multicolored map of the surrounding area, which looked a bit like a depth map. Where he pointed, it was red, showing an abundance of something.

"It shows where antimatter has a high concentration." He zoomed in further with the turn of a knob. It showed the main city of Marquette, plus a bit of the outskirts. There was the University, nicely labeled, a country club, and a state park. Nothing looked out of the ordinary besides the coloration. "There's an alarmingly high concentration of antimatter here."

"Northern Michigan University?" I asked, almost laughing. "I'm sorry, but that's hilarious. Nothing big ever happens around here, especially there."

"The readings are never wrong. Well, occasionally they can be a _little _off, but most of the time, they're right. I feel the need to investigate. Would you like to help me? You know the area better than I do. "

"Fine," I said. "But first, breakfast."


	3. Chapter 3

Soooo sorry for the late update! I was on a bit of a vacation last weekend, and don't have much time to write during the week. So, I whipped up this (sort of a sad excuse for a filler) chapter to tide you over. Enjoy!

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><p>I gripped the steering wheel until my fingers were white, not breaking eye contact with the road. To my right, the Doctor sat. However, this was not a great concern-the slippery, snowy, unplowed roads were. Getting the truck from the garage was easy. The rest of the way was not. Thank god for four wheel drive. My stomach growled, reminding me of my broken breakfast promise. Expiration dates were a pain.<p>

There were a few miles left before the freeway, all lined by pine trees. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one or two were fallen, and I'd have to try to move them.

"And why exactly couldn't we have taken your tray-dis? What was it called again?" I asked coolly.

"One, it's TARDIS, and two, she doesn't like such short hops. Can result in some dangerous side effects"

"I didn't _ask_ for an answer, it's a rhetorical question."

And there it was, the first tree, half exploded by the ice that formed inside of it. It wasn't a pine, but a huge, leafless maple tree. There was a tiny bit of space to drive around, but it was unlikely I could make it with the state of the roads. I braked hard, narrowly avoiding hitting the thing. For a few seconds, I only stared blankly ahead.

The Doctor did the same, and so we both sat, not speaking.

"So what do you suppose we do, illegal alien?" I asked, sighing. A minor literal roadblock ahead, in a truck in the middle of nowhere, in the winter, with a half tank of gasoline, and absolutely no clue what to do. The things I do for strangers.

"Well, we could try and tow it out of the way." He tried.

I couldn't help but snap back in my frustrations. "And where do you suppose I'll pull some rope or chain from? Out of my behind? I don't think you have any lying about in that coat of yours."

"I would say yes," The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "But that would be a lie. There was a bungee cord in my other coat though…"

Sighing deeper, I laid my head down on the steering wheel. Already, barely eight o'clock in the morning, I was absolutely done. I was also in deep regret of even waking up and just wanted to curl into a nice blanket fort like the mature adult I was.

"Okay." I said after a long pause. "Maybe we can work this out. What is a logical way to solve this problem? Is there any feasible way to do anything about the obstacle ahead?" I was more talking to myself than anything, a nervous habit.

I looked back at the tree, almost laughing at my embarrassing overreactions to my problems. I glanced out of the corner of my eye at the Doctor, who didn't seem to care, which alleviated some of my anxiety.

"Sorry for yelling… I just… don't deal with stress well. That's one of the reasons I chose my job, no deadlines, no stacks of paperwork. Just… books."

He raised an eyebrow, looking back at me. "Don't apologize. I personally know how it feels to have strong, impulsive emotion."

I returned his look with one that I hoped could give out the 'are-you-sure-because-it-doesn't-sound-true- in-any-remote-way-dude' sort of idea. "When? You personally could take the cake for calmest, kindest looking grown man in the world, at least in my opinion."

"Previous incarnation, two back. I'm not sure if I liked him, he leaves a bit of sour feeling in my hearts. So does his dress sense, it could damage your eyes. It actually _did _at one point, at least for a few extraterrestrials. The only thing that I kept from him is the love of cats, but then again, I've always loved 'em."

I pondered the thought a bit, taking my mind off of my predicament. "I used to have a cat, as a kid. Bella Cocoa Pants, her name was. Grumpy old puss, used to sleep in the middle of my bed, then hiss when I tried to move her. We gave her away though, we found out I was allergic, along with both of my parents."

The honk of a horn sounded behind us before the Doctor could say anything. I turned around. There was one of the local lumberjacks (not unusual) in their truck (again, not unusual) grumpily shaking an axe out of the window (only sort of unusual). I rolled down my own, waving sheepishly.

"There's a tree in the road!" I yelled back.

He got out of his truck, still wielding the axe. I then realized, when he got a bit closer, it was one of my good friends who lived a mile or two to the east of me.

"Hey Mitch!" I leaned out further. "Sorry for blocking the road. I, uh, don't have anything to move it. I would though, if I did." I shut off the engine as to save gas.

He looked past me and at the Doctor, who was, again, absentmindedly tinkering away. "So I see you finally have a boyfriend? I'm honestly impressed, Kath, I thought you'd be a hermit forever!"

I slapped his arm. "He's no more my boyfriend than you are."

"Which means you're _totally _together, so in love, just like a cheesy romance novel or stupid fanfiction like the ones you read."

Again, I slapped his arm, though it translated into more of a punch. "God Mitch, you see, this is why I don't invite you over when I have guests. This is the Doctor, a good friend of mine. I'm surprised you've never met him." I hoped my bluff would work. "Doctor, this is my 'bff since childhood and probably weird pre-womb baby spirit things', Mitch."

The Doctor perked up. "Oh, hello." He waved politely. "The Doctor, of everything."

"He calls himself the Doctor? Some 'friend' you've got there." Mitch muttered, raising his eyebrows goofily.

"Damn it Mitch, just go take care of the tree. You're such a goober." I was exasperated.

"Alright you two! Don't get it on while I'm gone, though. Don't want to catch that out of the corner of my eye doing you a favor."

As he walked back to his truck to get some chains, I rolled my eyes. "Sorry for him. He's always like that, he's the innuendo emperor of the state, I swear."

I backed up a bit, then pulled to the side of the road so he could have a bit of room for his pickup. The Doctor smiled.

"It's quite alright. It's amusing, actually, how some people think a couple of people are in a romantic relationship just because they're together in a public, or even private setting."

I nodded. "Yeah. It happens a lot, especially when Mitch and I go out on little joke 'friend-dates'. Y'know, go to dinner, a movie, putt-putt. People ask when he's gonna propose."

I watched him hitch up the tree, then go back to pull it out of the way. I couldn't help but stare, and had to admit; I had the biggest crush on him. Short, messy, brown hair, light eyes set large by frameless rectangular glasses, and just a hint of stubble which was nicely framed by the stereotypical lumberjack red plaid. He completely contrasted my chin-length blonde hair that hadn't been washed in days, dark eyes, and lazy dress sense. I was a fiery tempered bookkeeper who liked to write every once in a blue moon, him a calm athlete. How we became friends will probably be a mystery forever. One of the things that always got to me was how unbelievably short he was compared to me, a good four inches, maybe. It wasn't until he rolled the tree, quite loudly, into a ditch that I caught myself mid-thought.

He waved at me through his window, and I waved back, driving away, gesturing I'd call later. The road seemed a bit more optimistic, now that a bit of a convenient coincidence happened to, well, happen. The road was still icy, though, so I didn't exactly go over fifteen, which was still probably pushing it.

"You have affections for your friend, don't you, Katherine?" The Doctor broke the silence.

I turned pink, my face could probably boil water at that point. However, I decided honesty was the noble way to go out. "Yes, I have a crush on Mitch. I am a mature adult with crushes and likes pillow forts and thinks apple juice and dinosaur chicken nuggets are a grown up meal for serious business adult type people like me." Perhaps honesty was a bad idea after all.

The Doctor said nothing, but I could swear he was giggling. No matter, our destination was more important. The fate of the world apparently depended on checking on the bowels of a university that I never went to. The bowels that were apparently full of antimatter. Bowels of the university that probably were full of weird moose worshipping cults. My mind wandered, contemplating moose cults. And then the more likely Michigan dog lover cults. Everyone loved dogs.

I relaxed back into my seat. The road was clear, my heart was light, and it was nice and calm. I turned up the radio, smiling as it was found there was an indie CD was forgotten in the player. My usual driving on the way home mix, it was good to change it up. The morning mix was a lot more upbeat, too much this early without food in my stomach.

Food in my stomach. As if on cue, the said stomach growled, reminding me how I decided not to eat. Back to square one.


End file.
